The Hubub...

Finally saw There Will Be Blood. I'm a huge Daniel Day-Lewis fan, so I'm always anxious when his stuff comes out. However, the trailer freaked me out. Add the fact that I'm usually extremely nervous about dramas with Oscar-buzz ('cause they're usually weird,) I was pretty mixed up about watching it. So, here are my thoughts...with no spoilers.

THE ACTING
Remember when Daniel Day-Lewis got the Oscar for this movie a few weeks ago? He earned it. I'm not joking around - this is legendary acting. Apart from the storyline or cinematography or box-office receipts, this might be some of the finest acting to come around in a while. And not just in the lead role...this thing is powerfully portrayed. From a purely entertainment perspective, I say it's worth the money just to see these actors own the characters in a way we're not used to seeing.

THE STORY
I'm not going to spoil it, but I do think it's fair for people to know a little bit about the film. This one is dark. It's sad. There's redemption, but it's covered up pretty good by some horrific instances of greed and abandonment and selfishness. Maybe you can find some hope in it. I didn't find very much. But that's okay, because I think that sad movies definitely have their place.

THE LESSON
This is a fantastic movie for fathers. The film hit me pretty hard with regard to my parenting. I try hard to be a good dad, and usually I do okay, but this film was cautionary for me - it put some healthy fear in my head about guarding my heart against the temptation to let work and materialism and self kill all the good things in my life. I think that danger is in all of us - the risk for our own ambition (even for things that are "good") to consume us and incinerate those that love us most and who walk closest to us.
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A date movie, it's not. It's not even a Friday night rental, but I think parents who can handle a well-crafted but relatively disturbing storyline should watch it - there are important lessons in There Will Be Blood. Warnings aren't all that fun to see, but they might just save our lives one day.